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Saturday, September 17, 2011

I am a big
fan of brining meats before smoking or grilling. But when Sweetwater Spice Company approached me about sampling their brine concentrates,
I have to admit that my first thought was, “Why wouldn't people
just make their own?”

Brines are
easy and inexpensive to make. It's water, salt (30-75 grams per
quart of water), sugar (equal or lesser amount than salt), and
whatever aromatics you chose. Bring a fourth of the water to simmer,
add the ingredients and let steep for 30 minutes. Add remaining
water and cool down to 40f before using.

First
Impressions

When I
received my free sample set of the BBQ and Fajita baths, I was
immediately impressed with the packaging.

I know that
has nothing to do with taste but it does say something about the
quality the company has put into the product. Alexis immediately
said that they looked like something from Bath and Body Works, which
according to her debit card, is one of her favorite stores.

The label
shows that the concentrates are preservative, gluten, fat, and MSG
free. The list of ingredients contains all natural things like apple
juice and things you'd find in your kitchen.

The
concentrates have a thick texture and are visibly packed with
seasonings.

I used this
on some chicken leg quarters according to directions. I then
seasoned them with my usual poultry rub and smoked them on my Smoke
Hollow gas grill/charcoal grill/smoker combo at 250f using a mix of
Kingsford blue bag and cherry wood (I was out of apple wood).

I used this
on leg quarters according to the directions. Next I seasoned them
with a chile lime rub and grilled them on my Big Green Egg at 350f
using direct heat. I used a “raised grid” which means the meat
was further away from the heat than usual.

About
halfway through I made a modified mop of lime juice, white vinegar,
beer, sweet bbq sauce, and a serrano lime hot sauce. I mopped it
twice in the last 30 minutes.

It took a
little over an hour to hit an internal temp of 175f. This was a
simple lunch so we just ate them with tortilla chips and a sweet
pickled corn salsa.

I wanted to
try this one with beef, so I mixed it with beer and “brined” a
scored flank steak, a sliced green pepper, and sliced red onion in
it. I fired my Big Green Egg to 450f and added the vegetable wok
insert for my Craycort cast iron grate system. I grilled the steak
until it reached 125-130f (depending which end you checked) which
took almost exactly 4 minutes per side.

I sliced the
steak thin and served it with the veggies and Three Chile Rice that I made specifically to pair with the Tres Chiles Fajita Bath.

Results and
Thoughts

First, I
wouldn't say these are just a brine. They are more like a “power
marinade with brining effects”. They are more flavorful than any
simple brine I have used, that is why I call them more of a marinade.

The biggest
advantage to these brines is time. The recommended soaking time for
these brines is about the same amount of time it takes to MAKE a
simple brine as I described above. And my usual homemade brine needs
4-6 hours of soak time. They are a huge time savings.

The
disadvantage to these is simple....cost. A homemade brine costs me
about $1-2 for 6lbs of chicken while these commercial ones cost
almost $9*.

So the
flavor is there in a hurry but is it worth the cost? That depends on
whether or not you have the time. If you are pressed for time, these
are absolutely a good option for you.

Sweetwater
Spice Company products are available online (click for website) and at select retailers
such as Fresh Market.

CLARIFICATION from Sweetwater Spice:

"Our products are designed to save valuable prep and cooking time and cut
out additional prep steps (seasoning) by flavoring while brining.

1/2
Cup of BBQ BATH is sufficient to brine 2-3 chicken breasts, meaning
that four such meals can be prepared with one bottle (shelf life 1 Year
after opening).

We hope that $2 per meal to produce perfectly
moist and deliciously flavored chicken breasts in just 20 minutes is a
value for our customers and strive to make it so by using only the
finest all natural ingredients."

*I got my figure from the front of the 16 ounce bottles of BBQ Bath and the Lime Fajita Bath which state "Brines 6 lbs of meat". The back of the bottles say that 1 cup of brine (8 oz) plus 3 cups of water are enough for 5 lbs of meat. So according to the back of the 16 oz bottle, it is enough for 10 lbs of meat which does reduce the cost per serving almost in half.

I've never heard of purchasing brine either. This is a great review. I have to admit that the cost would kill the deal for me too. Even if it tastes amazing, $9 is more than I typically spend for the meal's worth of meat.

I often use brines when cooking poultry, and in theory this product sounds great but the price is a deal breaker for me. I may purchase a bottle to see what it tastes like. Which flavor brine did you like the best, Chris?

Thanks for the great review. It's always an honor to share our products and enhance someone's meal.

Our products are designed to save valuable prep and cooking time and cut out additional prep steps (seasoning) by flavoring while brining.

1/2 Cup of BBQ BATH is sufficient to brine 2-3 chicken breasts, meaning that four such meals can be prepared with one bottle (shelf life 1 Year after opening).

We hope that $2 per meal to produce perfectly moist and deliciously flavored chicken breasts in just 20 minutes is a value for our customers and strive to make it so by using only the finest all natural ingredients.

I'm all for both! I often try to save on cost but at the same time I'm a super busy mom who works full time and does 99% of the cooking so even with the extra expense these would be great to have on hand.

Thanks for the review! I have an excellent smoked chicken recipe that envolve's brining,but its usually a 4 to 5 hour deal including cooking time.I wanted some grilled chicken tonight but only had about an hour.I saw the apple/chipotle brine the store, I followed the directions on the bottle, when it came off the grill it tasted amazing. This is by far the best "quick" no hassle brine/msrinade I have found yet. At my store it was $6 but I guess it could be more somewhere else.